WOW Caroline. That is a great feeder. you did not say you were feeding GIANT birds. LOL They look happy and healthy.

That's part of the "Larimore Flock." There's about 50 birds all together. They live/nest at the outskirts of town, between the end of town and the old cemetery about three miles north.

They roost in a birch-filled glade near the cemetery in the summer and in the old shelter belt of oaks about one block from my house all winter. We usually see them fly up in the evenings. Very cool.

They make their daily rounds all over this end of town. In the spring I sometimes see two or three hens leading their poults down the alley and then between my house and the neighbor before melting into the shelter belt and the thousands of acres of crops.

They don't feed in the yards during the summer, but I can count on seeing them two or three times a day, for 15-20 minutes each time, when the weather is really cold.

We have them here too. Not usually around the house. I did have a male pheasant hanging out for over 2 hours yesterday. I forgot to go see what he was picking at. Will do so later. We have geese. The neighbors field is a total marsh this time of year so they are nesting.

wow. Love the feeder. If I fed on the ground I'd be feeding a dozen or more mule deer. My feeders are winched up into a tree about 15 feet off the ground. The birds, especially the doves throw enough seed onto the ground to keep the ground feeders happy. I try to keep ground feeding to a minimum because of neighborhood cats.

I don't get turkeys, but I have several pheasant that visit regularly.

Until last year I fed only BOSS, but then a friend told me if I added white millet I would probably get lazuli buntings....nearly 30 years here, I never saw one. Within days I had five regularly visiting, as well as Black Headed Grosbeak.

I'm told I'm getting the grosbeak because the feeder is high up in the tree as they don't like to venture down out of the tree top.

The tree is junk, a fence line weed that should have been cut down 60 years ago. It drops branches and sends up suckers all over the yard, but I love it for the birds' sake. It's also starting to die. It's going to have to go at some point fairly soon and I'm not sure what to replace it with. I keep hoping someone will buy the property and go in with me for removal, since about 60% is on the other side of the fence. Something that will grow quickly and provide good cover and ideally food for the birds (berries &/or bugs), but not drop branches and send up suckers.

A friend said he would build a platform feeder on a flagpole for me, but he's been saying that for several years, so I'm not holding my breath. That would work while a new tree grew up.

Stringweaver the plum trees we have here are wonderful bird habitat. The plums are not great. Then the tree I planted by the patio was a grafted tree with the pretty purple leaves and pink flowers in the spring. I think they only get about 30 foot tall and more of a tree than the plum "trees" in the fence line. They are more like tall bushes. The purple leafed tree died right off but the following spring there were shoots coming from the root and I left them to grow and they have made a fairly nice tree. I think it has only been 4 years maybe 5 and the tree is pretty large and full.

Just spoke to Joe about some trees coming up here and there. I know they need to be moved if I want to keep them. We need to identify if we can what they are.

ooh, plums. I hadn't thought of that. And they do very well here.

hm, I noticed last night the for sale sign and the trailer that had been in the lot next door are gone. Perhaps someone will build there. It's been nice having the empty lot, but there is the weed tree that needs to be taken down and the empty lot hasn't been mown the last couple summers ...dry tall standing grass is not a comforting thing to have next door during a drought. I think I'd prefer neighbors.

The tall grass dry lot is for sure dangerous. We had that here and one year I finally had to nicely ask the lady to mow. We are in the city and there is an ordinance. Not supposed to be over 6 inches. I think this is what finally got her to let go of the house. It has been empty for 7 years. Winter snow summer mowing and watering she had to travel 100 miles to take care of it. And she is old and not well. So now we have neighbors that are rarely here but some one always keeps up the yard.

The plum trees also provide feed for the quail on fruiting years and lots of hiding places if left to kind of go wildish We only trim back enough to be able to get through that last large opening to the back yard.

What a sight to see, all those wild turkeys! I saw one walking past the drive-through lane at Tim Horton's last fall here! I grew up in farm country in Michigan's thumb, riding my bike past farm fields and through state game lands for years and never once saw a turkey in the 1970s. Now, I see one seven miles north of the city limits of Detroit in the suburbs! I wonder if the critters were still recovering from DDT and other chemicals back then. We never saw woodchucks here then, either. Only dead things next to the side of the road back then were deer and skunks. And sugar beets!

That really is a dandy of a feeder, Caroline! I can see where handles would make it much easier to move around. Your turkeys are cool. We have turkeys up where I had my horse, but none around here where I live. My feeder is on a pole with a baffle for the squirrels. Of course depending on where the feeder is standing, the squirrels can jump onto it from something else around it! My most exciting bird this spring has been a pair of red-breasted grosbeaks! I've never seen them in my yard before and was thrilled when they showed up. Between the pigeons and doves, lots of seed ends up on the ground anyway. Plenty to keep the ground feeders, squirrels and chipmunks happy. Here is my newest friend.

Oh, this feeder was hanging on a shepherd's hook. I ended up taking that down because the squirrels were eating most of the seed. Here is the one I am still using.

I had a platform feeder, but I gave that to my niece. But you can see the other feeder just behind it in this picture.

Pretty yard Murraysom.

Thank you, Shades. I had to fence in my little yard when I got Carmelita as a pup 6 years ago. She was a runner and though she couldn't go more than two neighbors yards in either direction, I thought it prudent to keep her a bit more corralled. :) The maple tree on the right had to come down last spring and there is now a garden in the center of the yard. If I'm not moving furniture in the house, I am rearranging my yard!! :)

I have never seen a red breasted grosbeak, how nice, Murraysmom! My neighbor behind me used to feed the birds, but had to stop because the lady on his other side feed stray cats. :-( We know how those two do not mix well! One of the stray kittens got into my yard when Casey was out, and the momma was soon short a kitten. Death and destruction all around because someone wanted wild cats!

I had a tall maple at my last house and was able to get a feeder far enough out on a limb that it was not close to anything but that one limb. The squirrel baffle took care of the squirrels getting to it from above. I had the feeder on a very long rope that tied to my house, went out to the tree, and just slung over the limb, so I could lower the feeder by detaching the rope. The rope was covered with plastic. The squirrels never could walk it to get to the feeder, either. It worked well. I still got mice out there, eating the seed that fell, so it did attract some vermin, but I loved watching my birds.

How big a dog did you have that a split rail fence contained him, Murraysmom?

What cuties! I am guessing that there is some other fencing besides the split rail that I am not seeing. ;-)

LOL. Oh yes. There is a wire fence there too. Now that she is older (6), she and Fred both stay right with me when I am outside and mostly come when I call them. :)

That is great, dogs who stay with you and who come when called! I am now trying to teach my 11 lb mini-doxie her name. I am not sure if she ever knew it, or if she hears very well, or if she is just stubborn! She is somewhere between 8 and 13.

LOL Nancy. Are you using treats to do this? Did you just get her? This might be an uphill battle. Good luck!

Had her three years, but my other dog passed on a month ago, so for the first time we are free to do clicker training. Lizzy has just been my little lap dog all that time, trying to stay out from under the other dog's feet while also picking up anything he dropped. I have just realized that she does not know her name and she lost her "sit" and "get the ball" tricks while Toby was sick. Yes, I am using treats. I am not sure if she hears that well! I guess I just don't talk to her much during the day. The other dog was pretty deaf and I got used to not talking all day.

She is using a treat ball to wear herself out more now, I am hoping to stop her from waking her daddy too early for breakfast, a new behavior in the last week. So I give her a treat-filled puzzle ball to push around late in the evening. Since I am using her treats in the ball, I have not been trying to teach her the name the last few days.

Aww, Nancy, I am sorry for your loss of Toby. You might see a whole new personality come out with Lizzy. And if she is food motivated, the sky's the limit!! When I lost Murray, I had Fred left and he became such a clown. A little on the needy side, but I don't mind that. And I see that Carmelita defers to Fred at all times. It's interesting to watch. Good luck with your new pupil!!